QPR will travel to St James' Park hoping to extend an unbeaten run of four matches and move further up the Premier League table. The Loftus Road club are in 19th position. The Magpies, meanwhile, are 15th and struggling to rediscover the form of last season.

Newcastle United Players Celebrating
Alan Pardew needs to turn things around in order to seal a berth in next season's Europa League Reuters

Where to Watch

Kick-off is set for 3pm GMT. BBC Newcastle will preview and follow the match from 2pm GMT. Catch highlights on Match of the Day, on BBC One and BBC One HD at 10.25 pm GMT.

Overview

Newcastle have struggled this season with only four wins in 17 Premier League games, all of them at home. The Magpies enjoyed an excellent season on their return to the Premier League last year, finishing fifth and in the running for a Champions League position throughout the season. However, the 2012/13 campaign has been much harder, even though Alan Pardew has managed to retain the core of the successful side from the last term.

The St James' Park club are on a three-game losing streak, with only one win in the last 10 games in all competitions. And the club come into the weekend fixtures after a disappointing 1-3 defeat, at home to champions Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Rangers sacked manager Mark Hughes and replaced him with former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp last month. At the time, Tony Fernandes' club were in dire straits, with no wins in the first 13 games. However, Redknapp has instilled something approaching confidence and self-belief in his new team, with the club unbeaten in four games and travelling to Newcastle with a first league win of the season under their belt; QPR beat Fulham 2-1, at home, thanks to a brace from Moroccan Adel Taarabt.

Adel Taarabt
Taarabt's performance against Fulham gave QPR their first victory of the league this season Reuters

Team Guide

Newcastle United

  • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): L L L W L
  • Last Result: Newcastle 1 - 3 Manchester City

Queens Park Rangers

  • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W D D D L
  • Last Result: QPR 2 - 1 Fulham

Team News

Sylvain Marveaux
Sylvain Marveaux is expected to start for Newcastle United against QPR Reuters

Newcastle are still without French midfielders Hatem Ben Arfa and Yohan Cabaye. Centre-back Steven Taylor is also unavailable. However, Sylvain Marveaux is likely to feature, after recovering from his knock. James Perch picked up a minor neck problem but he is likely to be passed fit for this game. Long-term absentees also include Dan Gosling, Haris Vuckic and Ryan Taylor.

Probable Line-Up: Krul; Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson, Santon; Anita, Tiote; Marveaux, Gutierrez, Cisse; Ba

Former Chelsea defender Jose Bosingwa is available again for QPR but Redknapp is likely to stick with right-back Nedum Onuoha after his excellent performance against Fulham. Former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung is unavailable, though, and he joins strikers Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora on the injured list.

Probable Line-Up: Green; Onuoha, Hill, Nelsen, Traore; M'Bia, Faurlin; Wright-Phillips, Taarabt, Mackie; Cisse

Manchester United FC